Keep Teens Safe during Summer’s 100 Deadliest Days
During the summer, your teenage children will have more free time than during the school year to spend time with friends and stay out late, possibly borrowing the family car to do so. This additional free time teens have to drive is one of the reasons why the summertime marks the deadliest time on American roads for teen drivers. Read on to learn more about summer’s 100 deadliest days, and what you as a parent can do to help keep your teens safe.
Memorial Day marks the start of what the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety considers the “100 Deadliest Days,” a period during the summer when more people die in crashes involving teens than any other time. On average, ten people die in a crash involving a teen driver each of these 100 days. The number of fatalities resulting from car accidents involving teens aged 16 to 19 goes up 16% during this time. These accidents often find their cause in certain behaviors that are already subject to legal restrictions—nighttime driving, driving with passengers, and distracted driving.
No Passengers Allowed.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety conducted a study analyzing footage from in-vehicle dashboard cameras in cars driven by teens. According to their analysis, 15% of the accidents in which these cars were involved were preceded by the young driver interacting with their car’s passengers in some way. In Kentucky, teenagers with new restricted licenses are not permitted to have more than one passenger under 20 years of age in the car without also having a licensed adult sitting in the passenger seat. However, in order to keep your teen safe, you may want to ban young passengers entirely when no adult is present.
Cell Phones Stay Out Of Sight.
In the AAA Foundation’s study of dash cam footage, 60% of all accidents involved the teen driving distractedly in some way. On average, 55% of teens spend time texting every day, and according to the National Safety Council (NSC), 68% of teens have admitted to texting while driving. In fact, the NSC also reports that 41% of teens state that they’ve seen their parents text and drive while they’ve been in the car. Be sure your kids understand how deadly texting and driving can be, and set a good example by putting your phone away while you’re on the road.
Stay Off The Road At Night.
Inexperienced drivers often find it difficult to navigate roads at night. The NSC has found that 40% of all crashes happen at night, and 51% of all fatalities among teen drivers occurred between the hours of 3pm and midnight. Kentucky has a law against teens with restricted licenses driving between midnight and 6am. However, enacting an earlier ban of your own on unsupervised nighttime driving may do more to keep your kids safe.
If you or your loved one has been hurt in an accident in Kentucky, ensure that you’re compensated for the full amount you’re owed by contacting the skilled and determined personal injury attorneys at Davis & Haymond in Richmond at 859-624-3380, or in Irvine at 606-726-9991.
